In general, social justice careers are lucrative, rewarding, and competitive in the US. To give you an idea, in 2019, the median wage for human rights lawyers in the U.S. was over $120,000, as reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). With many social injustices happening in the US every now and then, more social justice workers need to stand up for the victims and seek justice. Examples of social injustices include, among others, discrimination, homophobia, and ageism. To help seek justice and promote human rights for victims of social injustices, here are some career paths that you can take in the US.
Human Rights Lawyer
Human rights lawyers particularly provide legal counsel and advocate for the human rights of victims of injustices such as sexual abuse, civil rights violation, and persecution. Human rights lawyers can work in institutions such as Non-profit organizations (NGO’s), government courts, and private institutions, both locally and internationally. To become a human rights lawyer in the US you must be conversant with the international human rights law, as per the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
Social Justice Researcher
According to Michigan Technological University, statistics play a great role in politics and the formulation of policies. This means, a social justice researcher can be useful in the provision of information concerning social injustices, which can help in making policies that uphold human rights. More specifically, statistics on issues such as racial discrimination, LGBTQ, gender inequality, and poverty can influence the government and social justice organizations to rise and take action.
Social Service Worker
As the government formulates policies, people need someone on the ground to implement those policies and interact with them directly. This is where social workers come in. They connect with communities and help them build development programs as well as identify marginalized victims of social injustice. To become a social justice worker, you need to be passionate about people and have good communication skills, as reported by Our Lady of the Lake University.
Policy Analyst
A policy analyst seeks to influence the government in policy-making by raising public awareness on social issues, including, among others, equitable access to healthcare, crime prevention, and equal access to opportunities. A policy analyst should also be familiar with human rights laws and related statistics.
Conclusion
If are an advocate of human rights, you should consider pursuing one of these four social justice careers. You can also seek help from any of the above professionals if you’re experiencing social injustice.
